Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 116 Water Cannons at Sea

Almost as soon as he finished speaking.

In the distance, through the thick fog, three pirate ships flying menacing skull and crossbones flags broke through the mist and appeared in their field of vision.

"Finally...something fun is happening!"

Hozuki Shiori's pretty face, which always wore a playful smile, was now filled with undisguised excitement.

She stuck out her tongue and licked her slightly plump lips, her light blue eyes filled with the gleam of a shark smelling blood.

For a battle maniac who sees combat as an art and finds pleasure in toying with his opponents, these past few days of sailing have been nothing short of torture.

The endless thick fog, the monotonous sound of the waves, and the icy old man next to me who always has a stern face and can only say "quiet" and "shut up".

Now, finally, something foolish has come knocking on our door.

"Brother! Look! It's pirates!"

Hozuki Shio, like a child who has discovered a new toy, tugged at Hozuki Kaigetsu's sleeve and pointed to the ships that were rapidly approaching in the distance, her tone full of excitement.

"Do you think they have any good food on their ship? I've heard pirates like to hide alcohol and dried fish on board!"

"..."

Hozuki Kaigetsu didn't even lift his eyelids. He simply wiped the ninja sword in his hand quietly, as if the several menacing pirate ships in front of him were nothing more than a few pieces of driftwood floating on the sea.

No drinking alcohol.

His cold voice poured cold water on his sister's restless heart.

"Tch, how boring."

Hozuki Shio pursed her lips, but the excitement in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

"pirate?"

Master Yuan, leaning on his cane, stood at the bow of the ship, his cloudy old eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at the pirate ships in the distance, flying skull and crossbow flags and fanning out to encircle them. There was no sign of tension on his face.

"Master Yuan, do you need us to handle this?"

A member of the Mist Shadow Guard, responsible for guarding the area, appeared silently behind him, his voice icy cold.

"No need."

Yuan Shi waved his hand, glanced at Hozuki Shio beside him who was already eager to try and whose chakra was surging, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face. "It's good to let the young people stretch their muscles. It'll save her from dismantling our ship again."

"Yes."

The ANBU ninja accepted the order and disappeared back into the shadows of the ship, as if he had never been there.

"Hehe, Master Yuan really understands me!"

With the tacit approval of the master, Hozuki Shio was like a canary released from its cage, instantly becoming energetic.

With a nimble flip, the girl leaped onto the highest point of the ship—the lookout tower on the mast.

"Hey—! Listen up, you weaklings over there!"

Hozuki Shiori's clear and melodious voice traveled distinctly to every pirate ship. She moved her wrists, and her knuckles cracked crisply.

The girl, hands on her hips, continued shouting defiantly, "I'm in a bad mood today, so I'll use you as an appetizer! Are you going to jump into the sea yourselves, or do you want me to riddle you all with bullets, boat and all?"

A burst of laughter erupted from the pirate ship.

"Hahaha! Boss, look! There's even a pretty girl on that ship!"

"That voice is pretty powerful!"

The leader of the pirates was a one-eyed, burly man with a hideous scar on his face.

They frequented the waters near the Land of Hot Springs, committing atrocities such as burning, killing, and looting.

Relying on their familiarity with the sea and their large numbers, they even dared to rob merchant ships from some small countries.

Seeing this lone boat today, with hardly any people on board, naturally piqued my interest.

The pirate captain used his one eye to greedily examine Hozuki Shio standing on the mast, then looked at their ordinary ship, which had no flags.

"Brothers! Looks like we're in luck today! Not only are we getting a fat sheep, but we've also got a hot chick!"

The one-eyed man raised his scimitar and roared excitedly, "Men, charge! Kill the men to feed the fish, and the women... hehehe, bring them back to be my wives!"

"oh--!!"

The pirates roared with excitement and maneuvered their ships, flanking Yuan Shi and his crew from three directions.

Looking at the greedy and ugly smiles on the pirates' faces, the playfulness on Hozuki Shio's face was gradually replaced by a cold disgust.

"lady?"

The girl tilted her head, her light blue eyes narrowing slightly, flashing with a dangerous light. "This joke isn't funny at all."

Hozuki Shio stretched out her fair hands and began to form hand seals at a dazzling speed.

Those ten slender fingers seemed to transform into two fluttering butterflies.

"Let you rats living in the gutter see what real water is like."

"Water Release: Tide Scattering Cannon!"

With a delicate shout, countless visible water droplets instantly condensed in the air in front of her palm.

Immediately afterwards, these water droplets, under the extreme compression of chakra, transformed into dozens of high-pressure water bullets that were harder than steel balls and sharper than senbon needles.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!

The next second, this barrage of water bullets, covering a fan-shaped area nearly a hundred meters in front, poured down like a torrential rain on the fastest-moving pirate ship at the front.

"What is that?!"

The smiles on the faces of the people on the pirate ship froze instantly as they watched the water droplets that swept in, leaving trails of white steam in the air.

They didn't have time to react.

Puff puff puff puff puff—!

A burst of rapid sounds suddenly rang out.

The pirates on the ship were easily pierced by the high-speed spinning water bullets, their flesh and blood flying everywhere.

Some had their limbs broken, some had a huge bloody hole opened in their chests, and a few unlucky ones even had their heads blown off.

The piercing scream lasted for less than two seconds before abruptly ending.

The pirate ship, made of sturdy wood, was as fragile as paper in the face of Hozuki Shio's wide-range water escape technique.

The hull, masts, deck... were riddled with holes in an instant, with countless fist-sized holes appearing in every corner of the ship.

Seawater poured in frantically.

It only took a few seconds.

The relatively sturdy pirate ship, along with its dozens of pirates, was riddled with holes and turned into a pile of wrecked junk under this terrifying barrage of bullets, before slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea.

On the sea, only a blinding crimson stain and some floating debris remained.

The entire sea surface instantly fell into a deathly silence.

The smiles on the faces of the pirates on the other two pirate ships froze completely.

They stared blankly at their companion's ship that had vanished in an instant, at the seawater stained red.

That seemingly harmless, even somewhat cute girl... what kind of monster is she?!